History of Telecommunications Technology [Hardcover]

Christopher H. Sterling (Author), George Shiers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0810837811 | ISBN-13: 978-0810837812

*Featuring more than 2,500 annotated bibliographic entries that trace the history of major telecommunications technologies over the past 175 years.

*Focusing substantially on work done in and about Britain, the United States and allied countries, it is designed to be a road map to an expanding historical literature about a fast-changing field. Extensive name and title indexes.

*Chapters cover general reference works, serial publications, general surveys, institutional and company histories, biographies of inventors and scientists, telegraphy, telephony, electromagnetic waves, radio, electroacoustics and recording, electron tubes and solid state devices, television, newer media technologies (cable and digital services), mobile/satellite/fiber transmission/Internet, and selected telecommunications history sites on the Internet.

*Offering, as a special guide for collectors, as complete a chronological listing as possible of the pioneering English-language books on different telecommunications services.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Because of the amount of information in this book, it is likely to be of wider interest than just to historians of electronics.... a wide range of academic institutions will also find it useful. (Reference Reviews )

Useful to anyone studying the history of telecommunications. (Choice )

This bibliography deserves to be in most libraries. It provides a handy reference for general and specialized patrons wanting more information on the history of the telecommunication industry. (Arba )

Highly recommended for large academic or research libraries. (E-Streams )

Here is one of the best bibliographical references you'll ever find! (Awa )

About the Author

George Shiers (1908-1983) was a California-based technical freelance author with several books and a host of telecommunications technology history articles to his credit. Christopher H. Sterling is a member of the George Washington University faculty, editor of Communication Booknotes Quarterly and more than a dozen books including Stay Tuned: A Concise HIstory of American Broadcasting .

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (May 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810837811
• ISBN-13: 978-0810837812
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,544,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Sterling has taught media and public affairs at George Washington University in the nation's capital since 1982. Before that he served as a senior staffer at the Federal Communications Commission for nearly two years, and during the 1970s taught at Temple University. He did his degrees (political science as an undergrad, then masters and PhD in mass communications) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conveniently in the same town where he grew up--and met his future wife. His professional interests include the history and policy of electronic media and telecommunications, while among his (too many) other interests are civil aviation (airline history), the history of Washington, DC, passenger lines and liners, classic cars of the 1930s, and even the history of castles and fortifications. He loves the mountain west (though he only lived there for one year) and traveling, though as we all know, getting on an airplane isn't fun anymore. He lives in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC, in a book-filled home not far from his two daughters and granddaughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Telecommunications History Bibliography, October 5, 2000

By 

Bill B "CableGuy" (Long Island, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Telecommunications Technology (Hardcover)

Christopher Sterling has updated and more tightly focused George Shiers' pioneering but long out-of-print 1972 bibliography of the communications field.

In my field of research (telegraphy and submarine cables) I have found the book to be a major resource. Its comprehensive listing of source material from 1855 through today - technical books, company histories, biographies, magazine articles, websites - has led me to several previously unexplored works.

Other technologies such as telephony, electromagnetic waves, radio, military and maritime communications, electron tubes, television, video recording, fax, cable, and newer media are treated in similar depth. Sections are included of works on collecting and appreciation of vintage telegraph, telephone, radio, and television equipment, company histories, and biographies of inventors, scientists and engineers in the telecommunications field.

The book is organized by topic for browsing or research, and additional indexes by title and author's name make it easy to locate the entry for a specific item. Sources which the author considers of particular importance are noted with from one to three asterisks to highlight their status, and reading these selections would provide a comprehensive overview in each area of interest. Finally, the book includes listings of recent reprints of hard-to-find historic material.

An essential work for the collector or researcher of communications history. Highly recommended.